Crossing 1900 in Style!

It has been my goal for 2006 to cross the 1900 barrier, and it has now been achieved! What makes it even sweeter is the way in which it was done. The following game marks my cross over into A1900 play - who cares that my sacrifice was unsound? Not me!

Hydrapulse (1921) Vs jimgrange (1886) - ICC Nov, 2006


1)d4 Nf6 2)Nf3 e6 3)g3 b5!? an interesting move inspired by an old member of Cambridge club, now IM Andrew Greet. The idea is to challenge the long diagonal and to grab Queenside space. 4)a4 b4 5)c4 bxc3 6)bxc3?! I was expecting 6)Nxc3 which aids development, but also leaves b4 rather weak. I was hoping to exploit this with moves such as Bb4 and Na6. 6)...d5 7)Bg3 Nbd7 8)c4 Novelty 8)0-0 Ba6 9) Na3 c6 10)c4 Bd6 was Barbero (2505) Vs Bednarski (2375). 8)...c6 9)O-O Be7 10)Re1 Ne4 11)Qc2 Bb4 12)Nfd2
This was an interesting position for me, and I would have to choose the lazy option of saying its unclear. My knight is very strong on e4, but my King is in the centre and am a little un-coordinated. But white has little to boast about - he is very bottled up and under a little pressure. I felt I had a slight initiative, and could continue with such moves as O-O, Rb8 or even a5. But, the loose Rook on a1 and the preponderance of White pieces huddled on the Queenside made me look at a tactic. Fritz hates it, but who cares? I wasn't playing Fritz!! 12)...Nxf2!? 13)Kxf2 Qf6 now white must choose carefully
14)Nf3! the only move that doesn't lose the Rook hanging on a1. Every other move loses to Qxd4+ and Qxa1. 14)...e5?! At the time I felt it was a winning move, but my opponent commented "you are pushing your luck a little bit!" and I must now agree, however neither he nor I found what Fritz found! 15)Rf1? 15)Bd2! Bxd2 16)Nxd2 e4 17)cxd5 exf3 18)exf3+ leaves Black very dangerously placed. 15)...e4 16)Kg1 exf3 17)e3 the Rook was still losse on a1!
O-O 18)Bxf3 Qd6 19)Nc3 Ba6 20)c5 Nxc5!
21)Na2?! Taking on c5 would have been better, leaving Black only slightly up in material - this would have been compensated with a nice bishop pair. 21)dxc5 Qxc5 22)Bd2 [22)Bb2? loses to Qxd4+] Bxf1 23)Rxf1 Rae8 -/+ 21)...Bxf1 22)Nxb4 Bc4 23)dxc5 Qf6! That Rook is still loose! 24)Nxc6 Qxa1 the game is lost now for white, but there is a nice finish to come. 25)h4 Qf6 26)Nd4 Rfe8 27)Kf2 Rab8 28)Bd2 Re4 29)Kg2 Re7 30)Nf5 Reb7 31)Bc3?
31)...Rb2! 32)Ne7 Kf8 33)Bxf6 Rxc2!+ this zwieschenzug is the whole point behind Rb2 - he must loose a piece. 34)Kh3 gxf6 White Resigns. An unsound sac that forced the initiative in great complications. 2000 here I come!!!